Improving Bench Press Technique

I tried my max bench press once again today and my weight is up 10 pounds from last time.  I was very close to 285 again, but my sticking point still proved to be a thorn in my side.  One thing I had failed to take into account was two of the 45s were actually 46 lb plates, so my previous bench press was 267.  My current high is now 277 lbs.  That sounds much better, but I’m not through yet.  Hopefully I’m even higher by next blog.

I have a video I want to pass along to you created by Jim Smith, expert author at Men’s Fitness Magazine.  In the video, Jim talks about some of the common mistakes you’ll see in the gym for guys on the bench:

1) not touching the chest

2) not having a high level of tension because they are trying to bounce the bar off their chest

3) flaring elbows out instead of keeping them closer to the side

Excellent information and instruction passed along here by Jim. I may be guilty of flaring my elbows at times. I think I may also need more body tension although I’m not one to bounce the weight off my chest. Critique your own form and see if you can’t improve with these tips.